Star Rancor is meant as a continuation of a
Quake2 map, Mel Soaring. Some areas do have
a slightly Quake2 feel, but I'll say one thing
for the design: it's unique.
The whole map is a blend between a military
base theme and a Xeno theme. It's actually set
inside a Xen temple. Most of the outdoor architecture
is pretty bland, without a whole lot of innovation.
While you're in the temple, though, it gets
cooler and more attractive. It may turn some
people away from the maps, so if you expect
good-looking levels, you may not be thrilled
in the beginning. Just give it time.
There's some odd-looking colored lighting throughout
the map, and it goes from strange to downright
annoying at times. It makes the whole map seem
a bit surrealistic,…but since that's the
effect the author is trying to create, it does
a good job.
The gameplay is totally the opposite of many
sets out there. You don't face a single human
enemy (ala Darkstar), and the only humans you’ll
find are dead grunts scattered around. There's
a large number of alien enemies, though, sometimes
8-10 in one area (the last part is a killer).
There's an abundance of alien slaves, it seems,
because you’ll face some around every
corner.
While the monsters are pretty varied, there
are a few little quirks which make it a bit
frustrating. Namely, the fact that monsters
teleport in without any notice. You constantly
have to check behind you to make sure nothing
warped in out of nowhere. There's also a lack
of puzzle-type play. Most of the set is run-and-shoot
stuff, which, while fun for a while, starts
getting old rather fast. It feels a bit too
linear, which sadly, most sets feel like these
days.
Despite the quirks, though, this set is extremely
original. The whole plot behind it, especially
with it being a sequel to a Quake II series,
is pretty interesting. The Xen theme is something
we really haven’t seen much of in the
HL scene, probably cause many people didn’t
like HL's Xen. It has a lot of potential, though,
and this map taps into that.
In the end, the map plays in a very linear
way. At times it just seems a bit forced, because
there isn’t any side way to get somewhere.
Even so, it's a nice map to look at, and the
challenge, especially later on, is good. I'm
looking forward to some more work from Shaun,
it just needs some polishing and refining.
